Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Makes New $415,000 Investment in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,798 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $415,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dearborn Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth $231,000. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 6,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 104,406 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,085,000 after purchasing an additional 2,644 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at $230,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.95, for a total transaction of $15,193,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 143,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,514,907.30. This trade represents a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total transaction of $5,005,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at $47,491,190.28. The trade was a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on RCL. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $305.00 to $295.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $287.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.53.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

NYSE:RCL traded up $4.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $212.33. 2,380,395 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,268,487. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12 month low of $125.06 and a 12 month high of $277.08. The company has a fifty day moving average of $241.31 and a 200 day moving average of $219.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The stock has a market cap of $57.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.06%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Profile

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 21, 2024, it operated 65 ships. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.